“Great nations don’t ignore their most painful moments,” President Joe Biden said when he signed the Juneteenth National Independence Act, making June 19th the federal Juneteenth holiday.
Once celebrated primarily by African Americans to mark June 19, 1865, when 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, to enforce compliance with President Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation to end slavery, Juneteenth now symbolizes both freedom from oppressive laws and America’s responsibility to live up to its pledge of liberty and justice for all.
Ironically, in 2023, millions of Americans believe that their freedoms are still under attack. American women are grappling to regain freedom to exercise control over our own bodies after the U.S. Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that ruled against state laws that banned a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion. The recent surge in gun violence — resulting in more than 270 mass shootings and more than 350 deaths in the first six months of 2023 — has pitted calls for stricter gun control laws with Second Amendment rights to bear arms. Moreover, more than 50 years after the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act was signed into law, African Americans are still protesting attacks on voting rights. Last week, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of African Americans who challenged Alabama’s congressional redistricting designed to diminish equal power over the ballot box.
In the midst of these struggles, the celebration of Juneteenth arrives as a much-needed diversion and powerful reminder to keep hope alive. It is only fitting that America’s Historic Triangle region — Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown — where Virginia slavery was codified, would join communities nationwide in the celebration.
An array of Juneteenth events are sponsored by members of the Juneteenth Community Consortium, a group of community organizations in Greater Williamsburg that work together to educate, commemorate and celebrate the end of slavery.
The celebrations began on Wednesday, June 14, with the Prelude to Juneteenth sponsored by Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, which featured noted African American history professor Dr. Cassandra Newby-Alexander, musical performances and dramatic readings.
The celebrations picked up steam on Friday when William & Mary kicked off Juneteenth weekend with a special program at the Sadler Center, and the second annual Juneteenth Commemorative Art Exhibition opened at the Stryker Center to highlight Black local artists.
Today, the local NAACP and York County Juneteenth festivities begin with an NAACP-led motor parade that starts at Highland Park and a Juneteenth Community Fest featuring 45 vendors, food trucks and a talent showcase from 9-12 p.m. at Bicentennial Park. York County’s Juneteenth Celebration will be held from 3-8 p.m. at McReynolds Athletic Complex in Yorktown and includes games, speakers, live music and food vendors.
Sunday’s activities include a 6 a.m. Sunrise Service sponsored by The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation at the Compton Oak, a landmark tree representing life, endurance, shelter and joy. Williamsburg Live will sponsor Keb’ Mo’, a five-time Grammy winning artist and 2021 recipient of the Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement in Performance Award.
The grand finale will be on Monday, June 19, when Colonial Williamsburg offers free admission and the Village Initiative in Education Equity sponsors a Juneteenth Celebration Honoring the Ancestors from 1-7 p.m. at the Triangle District located at Scotland and Prince George streets in Williamsburg. The celebration will feature a parade, the crowning of Little Miss and Mr. Juneteenth and vendors.
On Tuesday, community members are invited to a virtual “Juneteenth After Party,” sponsored by Coming to the Table-Historic Triangle to provide an opportunity to share feedback about Juneteenth 2023 and ideas for making Juneteenth 2024 bigger and better.
I hope to see you at the “Table!”
When we come together to build a more inclusive and welcoming community, we all win!
Laura D. Hill is the founder and director of Coming to the Table-Historic Triangle, a program of the Virginia Racial Healing Institute. Learn more about her work at Comingtothetable-historictriangle.org.
